9 Mo Old Biting

I had a brother that would bite so hard his head would shake whild he was biting and could break the skin. My mom tried to punish him but in the end her biting him, hard enough to hurt, did the trick. I don't think he knew that it hurt the other person that bad. I also have girlfriend whose daughter was a terrible bitter, they moved her up to the older kids class in school because they had done everything including biting her back. One day another kid bit her and she finally stopped. Both of them were alot older, so I am not sure a 9 month old would understand that either. Good Luck

My brother and I are 14 months apart. My mom always tells the story about how my brother used to bite me so hard he would leave bruises when we were babies. She said she tried patting his hands and telling him "no" and nothing worked. Finally she asked our pediatrician and he told her to bite him back. She was very hesitant to do this but finally he bit me again and she bit him just as hard as he bit me on his arm. He cried and cried but never bit me again. I don't know if I would be able to bite my own son but she swears its the only way.

Our daughter did the same thing when she was about that age. The number one thing you can do is to not make a big deal about it. If you say "Ouch" or make a big fuss when he bites, he will just find it funnier that he got such a big response from you. His teeth are new to him, and he is just exploring and figuring out what they are for. When he does bite, just tell him firmly but gently that it is not nice to bite and that you will not allow it. We did this with my daughter, and she caught on fairly quickly. Oh, and the biting him back thing definitely does not work. It will only make him think that it is a game, and does not teach him to treat others the way he wants to be treated. This is something that most moms go through, so you are definitely not alone in this. I hope I could help, best of luck to you!!

-K.

My son was biting and I did the same thing. I bit him back just hard enough to let him know it hurt and he never bit again. I think it will depend on each child. nothing works for every child, just try it and pray it works.

J.,
My son was a couple mths older than yours when he got his teeth in and started the biting phase. At dinner one night he bit my arm hard enough to leave indentions for the rest of the night and bruise the area around it. By reaction, I popped him in the mouth - not hard enough to hurt him, but hard enough that he got the point and let go of my arm. I think it scared him more than anything. He is 14 mths now and that was the only time this has ever happend. When he gets frustrated he will bite his toys, but he has not bitten another person since. I have also heard that you should bite them back so that they know how it feels, and then they will stop. I think you should figure out if he is biting out of frustration or b/c he thinks that is how to play. Even if he is laughing after he bites it could still be from frustration. You will be able to handle the situation accordingly once you figure out what is going thru his mind. Good Luck to you. Those baby teeth are sharp!
A.

My son is 8 months old and has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth and does the same thing. He'll come towards you with a wide mouth and bite and then when I tell him NO BITE, he just smiles and will attempt to do it again, but he only does it to me.(The mama). I've been told by alm,ost everyone that you have to bite them back one time and they won't do it again, but I don't have the heart to bite my child, SO if you figure anything out, please keep us informed.

I think all toddlers go through this phase. For a 9 month old they only way to get the message across is to pull him away and firmly tell him NO and them give him a toy or something to remove him from the situation so he won't keep doing it. It will take a few times but he will eventally stop doing it. They do think they are just playing so make sure you don't encourage it by laughing so that he won't get confused.

I hope this helps.

R.